Weekday Services in Gaydon

Holy Communion is celebrated every Tuesday at 8am. Holy Communion will be celebrated on Wednesday 18th at 11am.

Flag

The flag was raised in April for the Birthday of HM The Queen on the 21st; for St Georges Day on the 23rd; and for the Birthday of George Rickman on the 27th. The Village Flag Officer is George Hayward at The Old School, Kineton Road, 642963. Please contact him if you would like the flag flown for a special occasion.

Welcome

Tony and Helena have recently moved into Kineton Road; and Jason, Kirsty and Bethany into Manor Farm cottages. We welcome them to the village and hope that they will enjoy living in Gaydon.

Parish Council News

The Annual General Meeting of the Parish Council will be held in the Village Hall on Tuesday 3 May at 8pm.

There will shortly be a vacancy on the Parish Council.

If you are interested in serving the community as a councillor, please contact John Rickman at the Old Bakehouse, or on 640349, for more details. There will be an election if more than one person applies.

On the Buses

A person who uses the local buses is needed to represent Gaydon on the East of Stratford Bus User Group. The group usually meets bi-monthly in the afternoon.

If you are interested, please contact the Clerk, Corinne Hill.

Walk a Mile for Macmillan Nurses!

Special dog walk in Gaydon village organized by Lois Golding. £1.00 per doggy. Drinks and biscuits at Church Cottage afterwards.

Meet at 2.00pm on Sunday 22 May at St Giles' Church. All walkers and doggies welcome!

For more information contact Lois on 640953 or just turn up on the day!

Village Hall News

The Village Hall Committee is holding its Annual General Meeting on Tuesday10 May at 8pm in the Village Hall. Members of the public are invited to attend.

Neighbourhood Watch

Gaydon Report

Another relatively quiet month. Travellers took up temporary residence at the Land Rover (Avon Bowling Club) site and reports were received about attempted power tool sales within Gaydon. They also made enquiries about the availability of two sites in Gaydon itself. They were moved on by the Police who also posted a patrol car in the Village during the removal process.

Two burglars are known to have been operating in the South Warwickshire area for some time now. One burglar has been arrested and is expected to be charged with at least 20 burglaries. The second person is still at large. This man sometimes wears a tweed shooting jacket and glasses and has been seen carrying a ladder on numerous occasions. A photograph of the wanted man has been posted at the Malt Shovel, Gaydon Inn and the petrol station. He is known to have committed at least 25 burglaries in South Warwickshire.

Our Beat Officer, PC Chris Cuthbertson, is certain that Gaydon has benefited substantially from having SmartWater. Kits are still available to anyone who is interested.

Statistics

Finally! Good News: Extract from 12 April Press release.

Crime in Warwickshire at an all-time Low

Figures for the year 2004/2005 show that burglary and vehicle crime in Warwickshire is at an all-time low and that Warwickshire Police Force is exceeding government targets in crime reduction and detection rates.

Burglary has fallen by 16 per cent over the last year and the rate of detection is up to 25 per cent. Vehicle crime is down by 8 per cent and detection up to 19 per cent. Public disorder and violent crime has also fallen by an impressive 19 per cent....

In another new move, four new Scene of Crime Officers are to concen-trate on vehicle crime, so that every theft of or from vehicles will be analysed for the first time. Two other forces currently using this approach have seen an increase in detection, followed by a considerable drop in vehicle crime.

The extra funding is also allowing the Force to double the number of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) to tackle nuisance youths. "These improvements represent a very good package for the county," says John Rennie, Chair of the Warwickshire Police Authority.

Gaydon Village Fête

This will take place on Saturday 16th July in the Gaydon Inn Field (with the co-operation of the Gaydon Inn, for which we are very grateful).

We are planning the usual events - tombola, tug-of-war, arm wrestling, bouncy castle, dog show, teas, stalls and games. However, if you have any new ideas or simply want to help before or on the day, please contact Madeleine Hill on 01926 640636.

St Giles' Church Guest Service

There will be a special service on Sunday 22 May at which there will be a guest speaker. We look forward to seeing friends old and new. Coffee will be served before the service and there will be lunch in the Village Hall afterwards. Please contact the Vicar or one of the churchwardens if you would like to come.

Age Concern

If you collect State Pension....

Did you know that the very last order books have been sent out and the last payment you will be able to collect with these books will be the end of May?

As of the beginning of June, payments will be made directly to a bank account or Post Office card account. For security reasons, it is important that you make the necessary arrangements so that your payment can go directly to one of these accounts.

Should you require any assistance or further information on this, please contact Mary Harris at Age Concern Warwickshire on 01926 458100. She will also be able to advise you on an appropriate bank that deals with this change.

Recycling & Refuse Collection

May Day and Spring Bank Holiday Arrangements

Collections due on Monday 2 May and Monday 30 May will take place on Tuesday 3rd and Tuesday 31st respectively. If you have any queries, please contact Chris Dobson on 01789 260641 at Street Scene, Stratford on Avon District Council.

Coffee Morning

The next coffee morning will take place on Saturday 14 May in the Village Hall at 11am.

Gifts of cakes, produce, plants, cuttings will be very welcome. All profits go to the Church Fabric Fund.

We hope to hold our usual Spring Plant Sale on 11 June.

Gaydon and Chadshunt Parish Plan

The next meeting of the Parish Plan group will be on Tuesday May 17th at 8pm in the Village Hall. If you are unable to attend but want to raise any issues of importance to you or the village please contact Jonathan Crowe on 01926 640394.

text2talk

Warwickshire Police, in partnership with Warwickshire County Council, Connexions Youth Service and Stagecoach in Warwickshire, has launched an innovative service to support young victims of bullying and racial harassment - text2talk.

The young person texts in 07786 200 999 to report an incident. It is a confidential service and every message will receive an automated response immediately. Local posters give further details.

Friendship Club

The date of the next meeting has not yet been decided. Members will be contacted as soon as possible.

Mobile Library

This month the van is due to be at Telephone Box Green at 1.10pm and at St Marks Close at 1.25pm on Thursdays 5th and 19th.

Nature Notes

The weather has been variable this month to say the least. Bright sunny days have brought out Brimstone butterflies from long hibernation and coaxed Orange-tips to emerge early, hardy butterflies but ill-equipped for the subsequent frosty nights.

Bumble bees and solitary burrowing bees fare a lot better as they have built-in insulation.

The dawn chorus and nesting is in full swing now.The melodic songs of male Green and Goldfinches, along with the strident tree-top territorial

warblings of thrushes and blackbirds can be heard all over the village. Unfortunately, cats take advantage of inexperienced fledgelings.

Bells and a water pistol to get miscreants to drop victims where possible with the hope parents will find them; or in the case of the former to give some prior warning!

Kevin Heath is making an excellent job of mowing out the "wildlife corridors" in the churchyard. We still need snowdrops in the "Green" urgently for next season, so PLEASE dig some out!

Many thanks to those who have helped out with plants/seeds.

We still need many more (see last month's Parish Magazine for details).

After dark, look out for Barn Owls and Deer, both frequently seen now on the Kineton Road and near Chesterton.

I have not yet seen a Swallow or heard a Cuckoo but live in expectation of both later this month. Bernard Price.

Seasonal Recipe

May Wine

Pour a bottle of dry white wine into a punch bowl and slice into it a lemon, an orange and a few strawberries.

Add a glass of sherry or strong, sweet wine and enough sugar to sweeten the whole. Steep in the bowl for an hour, then add several sprays of sweet woodruff - if possible with bloom. Chill and serve.

This recipe is a very old one, named before the reformation of the calendar. Today it would be made in early June.

St Giles Gentlemen's Group

Our next meeting will be on Thursday 12 May at 7.30pm in Gaydon Village Hall.

Mr Brian Aldrich will speak on the subject '40 Years in Design and Construction'. Brian worked as an architect and is also a man with a great sense of humour.

All men are welcome for a simple meal of bangers and mash and apple pie. Please bring a plate, bowl, knife, fork and spoon.

A small donation would be welcome to keep the cost of the meal and wine down. Please let me know if you are coming. Philip Francis 01295 770400 Philip.francis@regents.ox.ac.uk

The Vicar's Letter

I write to invite you to a special service in May which is being planned in order to create fellowship and enhance the sense of community within the parish. On Sunday May 22nd our service will be slightly different in so far as we shall be having a Guest Service with a guest preacher followed by lunch in the village hall. At 11.15am we shall meet for coffee, with a service starting at 11.30am, at which children and families are especially welcome. The service will be an all-age family service, with lunch following at 12.15.

To help us to know how many to cater for, could you please contact one of the Churchwardens and let them know you would like to attend and inform them if you have any special diet.

Something to Look Forward to

On Saturday 25 June at 6pm St Giles' Church will be holding a Summer Barbecue at Windy Ridge on the Warwick Road, by kind invitation of Mr & Mrs Francis Liddington.

Everyone will be welcome and admission will be free, with a small charge for food and drink.